Melissa Come Back: A gritty dual-narrative memoir

by Patrice Keet, Melissa LaHommedieu

“Is that our Melissa?” Patrice cries when she recognizes the woman at the speaker’s podium. It is their Melissa—the foster child Patrice and her husband, Bob, haven’t seen since she ran away from their comfortable home at the age of eleven.

Now, she’s a thirty-year-old woman at a fundraising dinner, describing her journey through foster care, teenage pregnancy, abuse, and the loss of her own children to the social services system. In an instant, two decades of buried shame and guilt come roaring back to If only she hadn’t failed Melissa as a foster mother. When they are finally reunited after twenty years, Melissa and her pre-teen daughters are facing eviction, presenting Patrice and Bob with the opportunity to make Melissa part of their family once again.

Melissa Come Back is a true story of resilience that sheds light on the cycles of poverty, abuse, and addiction that plague our nation.

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2023

Reviews

[Susy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! The book follows two real life experiences with the foster care system from the viewpoint of both a child and a parent. Their stories cover times when the two are together, but a lot of the stories are from times they are apart. Many of the stories are heartbreaking, so be prepared for that. I found out about this book because it was written by local authors who gave a talk at our library, but I encourage everyone to read it!

[tbR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The odyssey described by Patrice Keet and Melissa LaHommedieu in Melissa Come Back, left me blinking. Melissa's narrative is a gut-punch and an amazement of mind-blowing determination. Patrice's account commences atop a pinnacle of joy at the prospect of adopting nine-year-old Melissa, then careens downhill as Patrice slides into decades of self-questioning and sorrow when eleven-year-old Melissa forsakes the Keet's family and home. Yet, the story's wondrous, concluding pages epitomize the admonition: Never give up.

[Linda Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Come Back is a unique, well-written, true story of commitment, patience, persistence, generosity, resilience, and love. It inspires us to develop these exquisite qualities in our own lives. This book will surely open your heart.
~ Linda Bloom, coauthor of An End to Arguing, 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships

[Linda Scroggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough read on foster care / CASA and expectations regarding bringing older children into new environments. Very good book

[Charlotte Khandelwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this twice now…I just keep thinking of both of the authors and their lives and experiences. Absolutely grateful for your bravery in opening up your hearts and wounds and sharing them with us via this novel and your ongoing work for CASA/child advocacy. I’ve cried for you both and helped find healing for my own trauma as a result. The authenticity of your voices and emotions are staggering.